Have you ever wondered how to bring the peace and joy of nature into your own home? Gardening is a wonderful hobby that reduces stress, boosts your mood, and connects you to the natural world. To share more about this, we came up with a 7-part guide called “Unleash Your Inner Gardener: A Guide to Happy and Healthy plants!” where we will guide you through the basics, from choosing plants to maintaining them in the long-term.

I'm Simran and though I could give you a thousand reasons for why I chose gardening as a hobby, let’s begin with the basics. Most people need some kind of hobby and what could be better than snuggling with nature in our free time. For me, it’s like a hangout heaven in my chaotic life. Here’s just some of the reasons why I like gardening!

Witnessing the Wonder of Plant Growth

Imagine watching a tiny seed sprout turning into a vibrant flower or a small seedling transforming into a beautiful vegetable plant. Gardening is a journey filled with wonder and discovery. The sense of accomplishment and purpose I feel when I witness my plants thrive is truly rewarding.

Personally, I feel a lot of positive emotions, feelings and experiences at once like calmness, realization of self-worth, happiness, sense of achievement etc. And spiritually I get connected with nature and its soul along the journey. Plants are an embodiment of life force that helps in cleansing the aura. The connection is like a natural source of calmness and positivity to me.

Start Small, Reap Big: Growing Confidence Alongside the Garden

At the beginning for me, it began with a small interest or as a distraction from overwhelming social media and later blossomed into a beautiful garden of my own. I didn’t realize how or when it happened but it surely became a bliss in my life. At the beginning of my journey, my fellow friends who’ve been gardening for a while then suggested to me this tip  to “go small if you are gardening for the first time.” Well, I didn’t quite understand it at first, however later I realized, it is good to start with small plants and pots, so as to understand the process and maintenance. Then I could learn the rest while I nurtured my small plant.

My Garden, My Planet: Environmental Benefits of Growing Green

Gardening is a small step from my point of view. However I did not realize its impact on our environment. Because even a small step is a contribution. It helps to maintain the clean air in my space, conserve water, and create a green space. In a city where I’m used to skyscrapers, cubicles, and fast food 24/7, gardening brings balance. It serves as a home to various small insects and pollinators, reduces the carbon footprint from the space, and all in all impacts the climate positively by absorbing CO2.

Grow More Than Plants: Life Lessons from My Garden

There are a lot of life skills I learn from gardening. It requires patience, dedication, and the ability to follow instructions. Nurturing is a form of art that doesn't come naturally to everyone. There’s a technique. For example, watering the plants every day, knowing the way to water, knowledge of soils and fertilizers etc. All these things need patience, research and commitment which are also a part of real life and the skills also help to focus and manage in life. It is proven that being in nature around plants and fresh air removes stress and increases skills such as problem-solving and decision making etc. In one study it is proven that being around nature increases problem solving skills by 50%.

Find My Zen in the Garden: Reduce Stress, Boost Wellbeing

Planting small plants in a garden, is that what gardening is all about? Well, technically yes, but the magic comes along with the journey. A journey of watching my small bud blossom into a beautiful flower or watching a seed grow into a little plant. I felt a bunch of positive emotions from that small pot sitting on my balcony. My first experience of planting was with a Tulsi plant or Holy Basil. All my frustration, tension and mood swings vanished by spending time digging for the small plant. In the process, when I was doing all the work like digging the soil, tilling it or weeding, at that moment, my mind was just focused on one thing, forgetting all the problems in the world. And it's not only how I felt, but studies have also proven that spending 20 minutes in nature reduces the stress hormone called Cortisol. 

Greening the Mood: How Plants Can Reduce Negativity

Gardening needs dedication and focus for a certain amount of time. It means when I’m gardening I won’t have any time for other people, which may seem harsh. But as an introvert, sometimes when I return home tired, all I want to do is sit in silence or sometimes I just want a listener to listen to all my frustrations and plants become that listener for me. Gardening is an excellent way to get distracted from all the negativities and step closer to light and productivity.

My Personal Sanctuary: Creating My Own Green Oasis

As a psychology student I believe our mental and emotional wellbeing are important because all the cognitive functions like thinking, reasoning and thought processing are impacted by them. However, mental states could be disrupted by many things. But being at peace could help a lot of issues. In my busy time, it acts like a break. Gardening helped me create my own space with all the greenery, fresh air, positivity and calmness. 

I have always wondered while walking or jogging in the park or trekking in nature, what is it about this place that is missing at my place? Then I got my answer. Those experiences with nature, with rivers, trees and bushes made me feel alive, wild and free. You can bring the same kind of feeling to your place too by learning gardening. Join us for the next 6 weeks of our series where we'll dive deeper into specific gardening techniques and guide you on your journey to growing happiness! Check back for more updates each week.

In part 2 of our gardening guide called “Choosing Your Plant BFFs”, we'll discuss how to choose the perfect plants for your space and lifestyle. Stay tuned for more updates on our Instagram account, where we will post new tips each week.

About the Series: Unleash Your Inner Gardener: A 7-Week Guide to Happy Plants & Sustainable Living

This fun and informative series makes gardening easy for beginners! Learn everything you need to know, from choosing plants to composting basics, in just 7 weeks. Each week covers a new topic to help you cultivate a thriving green space and embrace a sustainable lifestyle.

Ready to grow happiness and healthy plants? Join us for the next 7 weeks!